The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1887-10-20
SAVED BY A JACK.
a story or the Plains.
BY FRANK w. CALKINs.

men, was camped out on the bank of
the South Platte river, some 80 miles
above the little station Of ~Julesburgh.
We had embarrassed the horses from
our big wagon and picketed them out
to feed near the high stockade of a
solitary ranch station. Over the top
Of the stockade posts the grass-grown
roofs Of several adobe cabins were visi-
BILE. On the roof of one of these a
half-grown antelope kid was industri-
onsly cropping the heritage, and by its
side lay another, serenley asleep. its
head thrown back wei its shoulder.
Beyond the stockade and adjoining
it, was another Enclosure of several
acres, surrounded by a high. board
fence; a large stock corral, in fact, in
which several ponies were standing,
lazily whisking away the flies, evidently
too much overcome by the flies to
make any further exertion. These and
the antelopes were the only signs of life
about, the place.
"Guess this ranch takes care of it.
self" remarked one of our party, who
at that moment was attending to a
skillet of venison steak over a fire of
dry drift sticks, which he had picked
up on the banks of the river. Guess
old Cliff would stir up these fellows, if
he knew they all went Off left the
house with a couple of tame %antelopes
for guard"
On the first hating for the night, we
had ratified at the gate of the stockade,
in the hope that we might be let in and
given q chance for fresh water at the
well; but the gate was barred inside,
and the place was apparently deserted.
We rather wondered at that, for we
had heard of this ranch, and knew it
to be one, of the Cattle King ''Clif's
out-post-a Ground up. point for the
great range over which his thousands
of cattle fed. winter and summer. But
as we sat down to II supper of bis
cults, steak, canned tomatoes, and
coffee, we heard the big gate of the
stockade squeak on its hinges, and a
moment later there sauntered out to us
tall, strapping young fellow in q WOOL
en- shirt and buckskin leggins. He had
on his head a wide brimmed, white
wool hat, with a red leather band, and
on his feet high-topped, high-heeled
boots, at the counters of which jingled
a pair of Spanish spurs.
There was also a pair of big "Colt's"
in his belt. His wooden shirt was open
in front, the sleeves were rolled up to
the elbow and the deep tan-color of his
arms matched we'll the bronze of the
breast, neck and face. He had the
biggest and fiercest of black moustach-
Is and a pair of sharp black eyes to
match it.
A remarkable figure, perhaps the
reader may think, but one that. with
some modification of form or feature,
Will seen grow familiar to the camper
in the seattle country"
''Hullo," feilers - said this specimen
cowboy, as he came up and leaned his
elbow upon the hind wheels of our
wagon.
"Hullo," said we; and then, in the
short. suggestive parlance of the coun-
try. we asked. '.Eat ?"
You bet!' was the cheerful rejoind-
er, and the stockman flung himself
down into the circle about our oilcloth,
and was helped to a pint cup of coffee
and some tomatoes, and helped himself
literally to biscuit and fried antelope.
"Got nothin' but cold grub in the
the RANCH" he explained between
mouthfuls. 'tan' it's too mighty hot to
makes fires now. Nobody here but me;
boys gone up on Lodge Pold to run in
the strays. BEN asleep all the after
noon. Ratified the gate did YEP Wall.
now, I must be a snoozer! Curis what
risks a, man'n take in this country.
Now, here's you fellows trai1in' about
all alone, the four of We, and me here
a-sleepin alone, in a 'dobe, an six
hundred Cheyennes turned loose on
the country above"
Fact" he said, cody, noticing u
looks Of surprise, not unmixed with
alarm. Eyes, sir; runner come down
from the ranch above an warned me
Yesterday: They've Quilted one ranch
mp there, killed q cowman an run off a
lot o stock; expect 'em down here any
time. A lot of lem come down here
last year and caught us %snoozin, right
in broad day noon, too"
The reader may be sure we we're not
a little alarmed at such news, though
we hardly knew whether to credit the
fellows word or not. .-
He might be trying on the cowboys
and miners favorite pastime-that Of
'sstuffingg," or frightening, '~tenderfeet,"
but he gave us further particulars in an
honest, matter of-fact way, and after
supper invited u to haul our wagon in
side the stock corral. and to spend the
night with him in one Of the adobes.
So we concluded at length that he was
acting-as, indeed. afterward proved
to be the fact-in good faith.
Having accepted his invitation to a
shelter for the night, we were. soon es-
tablished in. of the long, cool
adobes. ~.* ~"
Our horses had been picketed as
close to the stockade as the grazing
limit vonld allow. .,#